Back to School Desk Name Plate

We go back to school August 6th (the teachers).  Yikers!  The students start on the 13th.  Wow!  I can't believe it's coming up so fast!  

So, I've been using my quiet mornings (before my boys wake up) to work on some Back to School items.

We have "Meet the Teacher" on the 11th.  My brand new firsties, and their parents, come to the school to..."Meet the teacher."  Go figure!

No, really, this gives us a chance to say hello before the first day, bring in their supplies, and get some of those nervous jitters out.  It's a great evening!

One of the best things about First Grade is the students get their own desk!  They are so excited about this!

I get my very first sample of their academic skills by having them fill out their own name plate.  I wrote this one, but I always have my new firsties fill out their own.  This gives me a good idea of where they are academically.  I find out if they know their name, I look at their handwriting, I look for upper & lowercase letters, etc.  You get the picture.  You wouldn't believe how much information you can get from this one little activity.  And I kid you not, I could probably put my firsties into reading groups based on their name tags!

It's always interesting to watch the parents watching their babies write, too.  They hover, and give them pointers, and dote over them to do their very best!

After about a week, I let them take these tags home and tell them to put them in their "homework station."  I then mix up their desks (the way I want them seated, because you and I both know after about a week, you know who should be sitting next to who), and slap a big, fancy desk plate on them.  We have a formal discussion about how to take care of their new desk plates, and 98% of them last throughout the year.  

Here's what they look like flat...

And now folded...

And, if you don't want "tents" on your student desks, you could cut them out and tape them on individually.

You can grab these babies for FREE in my TPT store here.

Next up...making a brochure for "Meet the Teacher" night!

Happy Friday,

Let the Planning Begin! Calendars & Lesson Plans

I'm getting all my ducks in a row for the brand new school year.  We go back in just 3 weeks!  

The first thing I do is make new calendars.  I need

* A month-view calendar for long-term planning: field trips, testing windows, themed units, holidays, etc.

Grab one for FREE here...

* Then I'll need a weekly-view calendar (otherwise know as my Lesson Plans).  I use this to keep track of lessons, specials, who goes where, our daily schedule, etc.  This is my most-used calendar of the year.  It keeps me on track.  Seriously!  

This is also where I keep track of standards, what we're focusing on, workshop activities, differentiation, objectives, etc. Here's what mine looks like.  I made it with Excel.

Notice I've typed in fields that stay the same every week.  I like to pencil in specific activities.  That way they can be changed easily when plans don't go as planned!  :)

This is "filled-in" and ready to go for the week...

* I also make a one-page schedule that shows our everyday activities.  I include this in my students' take home binders and post a copy on the bulletin board by our schedule for easy reference!

Here's last year's model.  I'm not sure about our schedule yet, so I'm waiting to finish this one.

* Last, but certainly not least, I make a trimester pacing guide for our grade level.  This tells us where we should be with our curriculum.  It kinda "maps out" the whole year for us and - again - keeps us on track.  I keep saying that, don't I?!

Here's a sample of what that looks like...  I haven't gotten to Social Studies & Science yet, but they'll be filled in soon.

So that's it for now!  I hope you find some quiet time this summer to help organize your school day.  Believe me, when school starts, you're gonna be pressured for time as it is!  Do it now while you're still sane and have time to think.  

Backwards Planning

I love to backwards plan.  It's logical and it keeps me sane.  Enough said!  

This year we've adopted a new math program called Origo Stepping Stones.  I have mixed feelings about this.  We used to use Everyday Mathematics.  Then we switched to Common Core with district-made Units of Study (and no curriculum; we had to make our own).  Then the district changed the Units of Study (still no curriculum).  Then our district adopted Stepping Stones along with Common Core, but they're being kinda vague about if we have to follow it to the "T."  Can you see why I'm having these feelings?  With all this moving around, my grade level and I have been pretty busy planning assessments and lessons.  Urgh!

Needless to say, here we go again.  I need to backwards plan for the curriculum & standards we've been given.  All this work keeps us outta trouble though, right!?

Backwards planning is something most teachers do, I think. It just comes naturally.  I once heard of backward planning as something you would do when planning a vacation.  Whether your'e going camping, to visit relatives and hit an amusement park, or on an extravagant getaway, you always plan with the end outcome in mind.  You plan what you'll wear, where you'll go, how you're paying for it, etc., with the outcome that everyone will have a good time.  That's mastery in vacation-land!  :)  When it comes to our students, we want them to learn certain standards.  Here's the steps I take:

1. What's the standard?

2. Make a list of the skills and knowledge your students need to gain.

3. Come up with an assessment that will show mastery of the above skills.

4. Create a set of lessons that teach the skills and lead up to the assessment.

5. Lastly, reflect upon your lessons and assessment.  Did the students gain complete understanding of the standard?  Were they able to show mastery with your assessment? 

 Reflecting will help you plan better units in the future.

Summer is a fabulous time to backwards plan.  It's also a great time to plan some fun, rigorous activities that go along with your lessons.  Take advantage of all the awesome, free ideas online (Pinterest!), in books, and from your colleagues.  You want your students to stay engaged while learning new skills.  

Now...I'm off to plan out Stepping Stones.  I'll let ya' know what my year will look like soon!

Blog Hoppin' Time!

Hey!  If you haven't heard about the awesome contest Blog Hoppin' is having, you need to head on over there RIGHT NOW and get started!  It's a fun way to get out and improve your shapshotting skills, and maybe even meet new people.  And, they've got some AWESOME prizes in store. 

Here's some shots I've taken so far...

A selfie with an ID badge.

Someone hugging a mannequin.  My poor precious son looks so thrilled!!

And, of course, the infamous family on a mini van.  

You're supposed to find at least 105 out of 200 items to qualify for drawings, which includes a Canon Rebel camera!!  Oh my, that would be awesome!  I think I've done most of the "easy" ones, and I've only gotten about 30 so far.  

Here's to an interesting July!!